Something to Believe In
by Annika the Merciful
Summary: Wick finds something to help Raven with regaining strength in her leg. Fluff. Wicken-centric. Side bellarke. One-shot.


He had found it about a week ago. He had needed a break from the demands of the camp and so headed off for walk with Bellamy. They didn't talk, they just walked along the path that was becoming more and more worn as the days passed by and more and more people began to use it for their treks in and out. He sighed taking a breath before noticing a small lagoon not too far from the path. Grabbing Bellamy's attention Wick nodded and they went to check it out, it was too small for bathing, at least when it came to the entire camp but a person or two could enjoy a nice relaxing bath or short swim in the water. The water was clear and from his guess Wick would say it was about three to five feet deep, depending on the area. They walked around the entire thing noting how large it actually was, it was easily twenty feet across. Wick noticed the stream that ran above it and below it, creating a small set of waterfalls that was soothing to the ear. The water was clean, that was a good sign. He considered it and thought maybe, just maybe he knew a good use for it.

Once back at camp Wick sought out Abby Griffin, something he had never done intentionally in his life but for the woman he cared about, he would make sacrifices, including talking to the standoffish woman he didn't agree with on anything. She was opinionated to be sure, her daughter had learned that well, but it was more than that. There was something that rubbed him the wrong way about her. There was still a lot of unsettled feelings from the Culling and everything that had happened on the Ark. He tried to not think about that now. Setting his feelings aside he headed towards the Med Bay where she would inevitably be. Spotting the tall woman at the desk taking a break, he quickened his steps thankful that she was alone at the present moment so that he could discuss it with her.

"Good evening, Chancellor." Wick settled on her formal title, she _was _ Chancellor, because he didn't know what else to call her. Her head whipped up and around trying to identify the voice. She nodded her head bidding him closer.

"Kyle Wick right? Mecha Station? You've never been one of my patients but Clarke speaks of you and Raven often." Abby continued by way of explanation when his brows had furrowed at how she knew who he was.

"You'd be correct at all of that. I'm honored that Clarke speaks of me to you but I'm really here to ask about Raven." He paused for a second. "Is it possible for her to ever regain the full strength of her left leg back?" His hands worried at each other, gripping and loosening as he waited for her to consider the math.

"If we had the right tools we could do physical therapy and that might help. It depends really, I mean, we only have so much technology down here and without more advanced images I can't be certain. Why do you ask?" Abby's voice softened as she registered his stance and tone. It was that of a concerned loved one. She didn't know what was going on between the two but Abby was more than glad that Raven had someone to watch her back.

"I think I might have found something to help. There's a small lagoon not too far from camp we found. It isn't extremely deep, maybe five feet at most and I was thinking that since water has less gravity she might be able to do some exercises and get her strength back in that leg." Wick continued on in fell breath. He didn't realise how much the possibility of her having the opportunity to get her leg back would mean to him, or to her.

"Wick, that would be perfect. If she did the exercises for about an hour or so three or four times a week, depending on her energy and if I know Raven she'll want to go every day, she might be able to heal it more over time." Abby smiled, watching as the man before her relaxed, his shoulders easing down instead of holding the tight posture of a few minutes ago. "Would you like me to show you some so that you can show them to her?" Wick nodded and then proceeded to spend the next fifteen minutes going over everything with Abby, thankful she wasn't needed and that nobody had yet to stop by. After the last exercise Wick nodded with a smile, he had done them all several times making sure the form was right before writing it down. If he could help her by giving her this then he would do it with her, support her through the entire thing. Now the only thing was to tell her about. The idea of confronting Raven about it scared him. She never liked to discuss her leg or the brace. Yes they would joke occasionally about the design but always noticed how she got tense and quiet and would often change the subject as fast as she could.

As Wick exited the tent, he made his way over to the mess hall, now hungry and excited he couldn't wait to grab his and Raven's portion before heading back to work on designs. However, he didn't very far when he found her at a table for two looking cross with two portions in front of her. Better now then never he guessed as he took a seat across from her hoping that this didn't end in a fight. Raven didn't waste any time, he doubted she would.

"Why were you talking to Abby for an hour?" Her question was clipped, sounding tight as if she had been fighting the urge to walk over there and figure out what exactly had been going on.

"I wanted to discuss and idea with her before I came to you with it." Wick openly admitted. As much as Raven could seem imposing and he was half afraid of her he cared about her enough to want to give her the ability to walk on her own again with no aid whatsoever.

"And what idea was that?" She countered nervously, pushing her food around her plate instead of eating it.

"Water therapy. For you. To strengthen your leg." He finished quietly, not feeling that this was a conversation she would want others to overhear.

"You did what?" Her voice was filled with shock but he noticed the flicker across her face of thankfulness before replacing it would the neutral expression he couldn't stand.

"A few days ago I found a small lagoon not that far outside of camp. It's not that deep and there's a small current but nothing strong. I thought that since it would be easier to move in water than on land, you might be able to do some exercises and strengthen your leg so you wouldn't need a brace. I asked her to show me some so I could show them to you." He finished even more quietly while keeping full eyes contact with her. He watched as her eyes grew large, he had made a huge gesture by doing this and she wasn't sure how to take it. Knowing that it would be too much to say anything else he decided to turn the conversation back towards their designs for their current project and leave the matter be. If she wanted it bad enough she would seek him out at another time. That was these things worked between them.

Lo and behold a few days later Raven had approached Wick with the idea of taking a walk, but making sure to bring a pack with extra clothes just in case. He tried to hide the smile but didn't quite manage it and instead started off ahead of her, heart racing hoping that he could show her he was in this for the long haul. She glanced around as he led her off the path to where it lay and when he started to undress she didn't even blink, just proceeded to do the same. By the time she was standing at the water's edge he was already in up to his hips. The water was warm from the summer sun and it felt soothing compared to the heat raining down on them in the afternoon. Raven stood unsure about stepping into the water. She had never learned to swim and though she knew she would get reassurances from Wick, she had to take the step herself. Carefully Raven moved from the tree she was balancing on to Wick's hand. Her startled expression made him smile.

"I figured I might be a better choice than the tree." He smiled easily and helped her balance until she was in the water. Raven took a minute to enjoy what it felt like to be wrapped in the silkiness of water. She let a smile break onto her face for several minutes before turning to Wick and getting down to business. They never really talked about what it had meant for Wick to do this but they both knew that Raven couldn't have really put it into words, he always seemed to know exactly what she needed and when she needed it. She was finding it refreshing.

It became a regular pattern. Every other afternoon if they were terribly swamped with work Wick and Raven would two hours and go to the lagoon. She could already see a difference after the second week. The first week had been brutal she was more exhausted than ever with extra effort to regain strength but Wick was just as tired as he did all the exercises with her, never making her feel alone. Together they worked and together they were tired. It seemed they were doing a lot of things together lately. But still Raven had a hard time admitting that to more than herself. After the third week Raven noticed she could walk around her tent for short periods of time without it before the weight was too much and she would return the brace. Still the improvement left a smile on her face and gave her the push to continue working. Some days she wouldn't go and somewhere around week six or seven they had come to a standstill. She had been strengthening her leg but she still had to use the brace, and became angry, throwing it away from her one afternoon in the shop. Wick entered the space as she threw a wrench across the bench in frustration. He sighed, he had wondered when this was coming. Abby had warned him recently that with everyone there comes a time where they have to decide if they are in or out. Apparently this was Raven's.

"Hey Reyes, did you see my design for the hydroponic systems?" He watched as she bristled ready to take the onslaught but watched as her shoulders fell and all the fight seemed to leave her. "What is it Raven?" his voice betrayed his concern. He rarely called her by her first name, but he felt the situation called for it.

"I don't want to go anymore." Her tone was flat.

"Why not?" He inquired coming to stand before with his arms across the table.

"It's not helping. I still have to walk with this damn brace!" Her anger resonated throughout the room. He nodded, trying not to let his hurt show he shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, if you don't want to that's up to you." It must have been the air of nonchalance that he tried to convey his words with because she got even more mad.

"What? You're gonna give up just like that?" She turned on him, poking him in the chest. He shrugged moving away from her to the other end of the table.

"Hey, I'm not the one who is giving up." His words hit her like a cold wind. She stared at him, unable to formulate words.

"I am _not _giving up!" She retorted back, getting off of the stool and heading his direction.

"Oh? Then what do you call telling me you don't want to go anymore?" He countered, still trying to stay calm but finding it harder and harder to do so.

"It's not giving up!" She tried to come back but her tone fell short, already knowing she lost the battle. Sighing Raven played with a pencil on the table doing everything possible to not look at Wick. She felt his hand lightly under her chin bring up her face she he could look at her.

"Raven, I told you at the beginning this would be hard." She tried to interrupt but Wick kept going. "I also told you that I would stand beside you and work beside you every step of the way. That also means telling you that I think it would be ridiculous if you gave this up now. You can walk around almost half the of the day without your brace. That is something to be proud of." He let a smile over take his face at that. Wanting to show her just how proud he was. "You have come so far, and honestly I am so proud of for sticking this out. You are amazing." He blushed as the words tumbled out of his mouth. He had always been so careful to try and hide his true affections from her. After the first time they had had sex he tried to tamp them down, not wanting her to shut him out like she had before.

"Thank you." She smiled before calling him an idiot and demanding to know why he had chosen such an impractical design. He smiled, knowing that that was her was of dismissing a conversation and saying everything was fine. Later that afternoon she had stated that she would be ready for tomorrow's trip and he could help but smile at that. They kept working and Raven kept getting stronger, she still wore the brace around the others not quite ready let go of the security it brought.

After four months of exercises Raven had decided it was time. She didn't _really_ need the brace anymore. One day, after one such trip at the beginning of September Raven stopped them just inside the gate. Wick smiled, having had a feeling today was going to be the day.

"Can you hold this for me?" Raven asked slightly nervous but more than excited. Though Wick noticed how her hands shook when she was taking it off, having to tug on one of the straps more than once to pull it out of place.

"Of course I can." Wick radiated happiness and pride. Raven nodded noticing as Bellamy, Octavia, Lincoln, and Clarke had all just come out of the Mess Hall, if she shouted she could get their attention.

"Clarke!" She yelled to catch the other girl's attention and was rewarded when the other three turned around as well. Taking a deep breath Raven took an unsteady step forward. She may have been able to walk around her tent without the aide of the her brace for quite some time but this was in front of her friends, she didn't want to mess this. She watched as Clarke was about to say something back when she noticed Raven's lack of brace. It didn't take long for her to mention it to the other's and soon they were all cheering and shouting. It brought a smile to her face as she closed to the fifty year distance and others joined in as well, hooting and hollering, happy to join in the celebration. After several minutes Raven stood in front of Clarke and the others a broad smile on her face.

"Raven!" Clarke shouted and wrapped her arms around the other girl, still slightly careful to not throw too much weight on the girl, but too happy to not hug her. Raven returned the hug enthusiastically.

"This calls for a bonfire tonight!" Bellamy yelled in to the group that had come around still cheering Raven on.

"And extra moonshine!" Octavia added before pulling the other girl into an equally strong hug. Raven couldn't help but thank everyone around her before turning back to Wick and wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders.

"Thank you so much." She whispered, letting the words out.

"Any time Grease Monkey." He cheered back, smiling just as broadly. Raven shook her head before unwinding herself from Wick, wondering when they had gotten so tangled up in the first placed.

Later the night, as the fire burned bright and everyone sat around smiling and laughing Raven grabbed Wick's collar, bringing him in close as she swayed her hips to the nonexistent music. Bringing his lips down to her's Raven allowed herself to finally let them connect again. Wick tried to not to sigh as he brought her as close to him as he could manage while clothes were still being worn. It didn't take long for them to gain a rhythm, moving in sync as they continued to kiss. Finally their lungs demanded air and they broke apart, leaving their foreheads touching. "Thank you Kyle Wick, for giving me something to believe in." She kissed him on more time, this time slowly, simply just a simple touch that he wanted to experience over and over again.


End file.
